Ice-boot for horses.



V. W. .THOMAS.- ICE BOOT FOR HORSES. APPLICATIOH' TILED me. 10, 1910.

984,617, "Patented Feb. 21, 1911.

Ema-55 5 [NVE/VIOR.

barren srarns rerun-r @111110E.

VICTOR W. THOMAS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO CHRIST MILLER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

ICE-BOOT FOR HORSES.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VICTOR W. THOMAS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ice- Boots for Horses, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to appliances designed to be readily attached to or detached from the hoofs of horses and other working animals, over the usual shoe, to obviate the tendency to slip on ice, smooth pavements or wet surfaces. Boots for this purpose have heretofore been used, especially a type in which a webof chain-work was supported beneath the sole in such manner that certain of the catenations crossed both branches of the frog, a very undesirable arrangement. The experience of the past winter has shown that while this type is successful in its main design, the prevention of slipping on smooth or icy surfaces, it has a tendency to collect damp snow in the open links, and cause balling when the conditions exist. Moreover the working of the chain-links among themselves renders the footing in a measure unstable.

It is the object of this invention to remedy such defects, and to this end I employ bars of suitable outline in crosssection, in place of chain links, uniting these bars together at the center of the sole by a hinging connection, and supporting their outer ends flexibly from the uppers of the boot. Moreover the central hinge-joint is located in advance of the apex of the frog and the two rearmost bars flare apart approximately parallel with its branches, which are never crossed.

Certain novel features in the fastening or securing devices of the boot will appear from the ensuing description, taken in connection with the drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side view of the hoof and fetlock of a horse, showing my improved device attached thereto; Fig. 2, a view of the sole of the hoof, disclosing the preferred arrangement of the tread-bars, and Figs. 3 and 4, details in perspective and transverse section, respectively, of one of said treadbars.

Referring now to said drawings, the numeral 1 represents what may be termed a heel-band, designed to pass over the coronary cushion in the hollow of the pastern-joint,.-

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 10, 1910.

Patented Feb. 21, 1911.

Serial No. 576,575.

beneath the fetlock; This band should be moderately flexible, and is best made of a filler 2 of chain or other suitable strong material, covered with a heavy rubber tube or sheath 3 to ease it upon the parts with which it comes in contact. The band 1 is secured at its ends to truncate rings 4 and 5, that is its strengthening filler is jointed to these rings, and over the straight bars of the rings takes a strap 6, of leather or analogous material, connecting the two rings by passing over the hoof in front of the coffin-bone. The strap is provided with a buckle 7 whereby it may be adjusted upon the foot, and its bight passes through a loop or keeper 8 which receives in its lower loop the straight bar of a truncate ring 9, located, with the keeper, at the median front line of the hoof, beneath the coronary cushion. Two straps or links 10, 11, of measurably stiff material, preferably heavy leather, doubled and riveted, connect the curved portion of ring 9 with the straight bars of other truncate rings 12 and 13, located at the sides of the hoof, adjacent to the sole. The curved reaches of these latter two rings support a front tread-bar 14:, by means of eyes 15 formed in the ends of the bar. The bar is so supported that it crosses the sole of the foot behind and parallel with the toe-calk, thus giving a bite transverse to the line of advance. Similar links 16 and 17, run obliquely from the rings 12 and 13 to a central ring 18 located over the sole in front of the apex of the frog, and from this cen tral ring two other links or tread-bars l9 and 20, of like construction, flare alongside, but in advance of the frog, to connections with the curved reaches of the truncate rings 1 and 5, first mentioned, which link the heelband to the fastening strap that passes around the front of the hoof beneath the coronary cushion. The tread-bars will pre sumably be of metal, and may have any suitable cutting or penetrating edge and be'of any cross section appropriate to their pun pose, but I have found a triangular cross sect-ion to be most advantageous, since the hinging of the bars to their supporting rings can be so managed as to insure contact of one flat surface 21 with the sole of the hoof, or its shoe, and the presenting of the opposite penetrating edge 22 to the ground, with such a pronounced draw between the said surface and the edge as to forbid the'clinging or accumulation of snow or mud, and consequent balling.

One salient feature of my invention is the employment of the two flaring tread-bars inclosing the frog but not crossing it; an other salient feature is the front tread-bar arranged transversely to the line of advance of the animal. It is evident that other features may be varied or changed without departing from the principle of the invention so far as it relates to either or both of these two.

Having thus described my invention and the best manner now known to me in which it maybe carried out, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. An ice boot for horses, comprising releasable fastening means for supporting it upon the hoof, apair of tread-bars approximately paralleling the front edges of the frog to the center of the sole and articulated at their rear ends to said fastening or support ing means, and sustaining means articulating the forward converging ends of said bars with the front portion of said supporting means.

2. An ice boot for horses, comprising releasable fastening means for supporting it upon the hoof, a pair of tread-bars approximately paralleling the front edges of the frog, articulated at their rear ends to said fastening or supporting means and at their front ends to each other, and sustaining means also forming part of the tread, ar ticulated to and connecting the forward converging ends of said bars with the front portion of said supporting means.

3. An ice boot for horses, comprising releasable fastening and. supporting means for holding it upon the hoof, a pair of treadbars each formed with flat bearing surface for the sole and penetrating edge for con tact with the ground, approximately paralleling the front edges of the frog and connected at their rear ends to said supporting means outside of said frog, and sustaining means connecting the forward converging ends of said bars with the front portion of said supporting means.

4. An ice boot for horses, comprising releasable fastening and supporting means for holding it upon the hoof, a pair of tread bars each formed with flat bearing surface for the sole and penetrating edge forv contact with the ground, approximately paralleling edges of the frog and connected at their rear ends, outside of said frog, to said supporting means, and sustaining means, also forming part of the tread, connecting the forward converging ends of said bars, in advance of the frog, with the front portion of said supporting means.

5. An ice boot for horses, comprising releasable fastening and supporting means for holding it upon the hoof, a pair of treadbars, triangular in cross section, approximately paralleling the front edges of the frog and connected at their rear ends, outside of the frog, with said supporting means, and sustaining means connecting the forward converging ends of said bars with the front portion of said supporting means.

6. An ice boot for horses, comprising releasable fastening and supporting means for holding it upon the hoof, a pair of treadbars, triangular in cross section, approximately paralleling the front edges of the frog and connected at their rear ends, outside of the frog, with said supporting means, and sustaining means forming part of the tread and connecting the forward converging ends of said bars, in advance of the frog, with the front portion of said supporting means.

7. An ice boot for horses, comprising releasable fastening and supporting means for holding it upon the hoof, a pair-of converging tread-bars approximately paralleling the front edges of the frog, articulated at their rear ends to said supporting means and at their front ends to each other, a pair of diverging tread-bars articulated at their rear convergent ends to the front convergent ends of the former pair and to each other a transverse bar extending across the sole, beneath the toe, and articulated at the sides of the hoof to the front divergent ends of the second pair of bars, and means for sustaining these ends from the aforesaid supporting means, all of said bars being triangular in cross section and presenting a flat side to the sole.

8. An ice boot for horses, comprising releasable fastening and supporting means for holding it upon the hoof, a pair of treadbars approximately paralleling the front edges of the frog and connected at their rear, divergent ends to said supporting means, a pair of tread-bars flexibly secured to the front, convergent ends of the former and diverging therefrom to the sides of the hoof, and connections between the front ends of said latter bars and the front portion of the supporting means.

9. An ice boot for horses, comprising releasable fastening and supporting means for holding it upon the hoof, a pair of fiat-surfaced, pointed-edged tread-bars approximately paralleling the front edges of the frog and connected at their rear, divergent ends to said supporting means, a like pair of tread-bars flexibly secured to the front, convergent ends of the former and diverging therefrom to the sides of the hoof, and connections between the front ends of said latter bars and the front portion of the supporting means.

10. An ice boot for horses, comprising releasable fastening and supporting means for holding it upon the hoof, a pair of convergbeneath the toe and connected with said supporting means at each side of the hoof, and means connecting the forward convergent ends of said pair with the latter bar.

11. An ice boot for horses, comprising releasable fastening and supporting means for holding it upon the hoof, a pair of converging treadbars approximately paralleling the front edges of the frog and connected at their rear ends to said supporting means, a

pair of diverging tread-bars flexibly connected at their rear, convergent ends to the front convergent ends of the former pair, a transverse bar extending transversely across the sole, and flexibly connected at the sides of the hoof to the front ends of the second pair of bars, and means for sustaining these ends from the aforesaid supporting means.

12. An ice boot for horses, comprising a heel-band to go in the hollow beneath the fetlock at the pastern joint, a fastening strap running from the heel-band around the front of the hoof, beneath the coronary cushion, suspending rings connecting the band to the strap, a pair of tread-bars paralleling approximately the front edges of.

the frog and jointed at their rear ends to said rings, and sustaining means jointed to the forward converging ends of said bars, forming part of the tread, and connected toward the front of the hoof with said fastening strap.

13. An ice boot for horses, comprising a heel-band to go in the hollow beneath the fetlock at the pastern joint, a fastening strap running from the heel-band around the front of the hoof, beneath the coronary cushion, suspending rings connecting the band to the strap, a pair of tread-bars approximately paralleling the frent edges of the frog and jointed at their rear ends to said rings, and means connecting the forward, convergent ends of the pair with the front portion of the fastening strap.

14. An ice boot for horses, comprising a heel-band to go in the hollow beneath the fetlock at the pastern joint, a fastening strap running from the heel-band around the front of the hoof, beneath the coronary cushion, suspending rings connecting the band to the strap, a pair of tread-bars approximately paralleling the front edges of the frog and jointed at their rear ends to said rings, a central tread-ring connecting the convergent forward ends of said pair, a second pair runnin divergently from this latter ring to the front sides of the hoof, rings with which their outer ends are jointed, and a transverse bar running beneath the toe jointed to said latter rings, and straps connecting these rings with the front of the fastening strap.

15. An ice boot for horses, comprising a rubber covered flexible heel-band to go in the hollow beneath the fetlock at the pastern joint, a fastening strap running from the heel-band around the front of the hoof, beneath the coronary cushion, suspending rings connecting the band to the strap, a loop inclosing the front portion of the strap, diverging straps or links and a ring by which they are suspended from the loop, suspending rings at the lower ends of these straps, and an ice-creeping tread sustained beneath the sole by connection with the front and rear sets of suspending rings.

' VICTOR W. THOMAS.

Witnesses:

ANTON A. GRAY, JULIA F. ADAMS. 

